Our Instructors

SiFu Lester Walters

SiFu Lester is the Head Instructor of the Chinese Martial Arts and Health Centre Australia. Before moving to Australia he trained for many years under SiGung Marco at the CMAHC in Cape Town. Coming from a background of Electrical Engineering, Lester felt compelled to turn to teaching Kung Fu upon arriving in Australia because of his love for the system. He continues to travel back to South Africa and Taiwan regularly to continue his personal training in the system under SiGung Marco. He studies and teaches both the Kung Fu systems of Shaolin Northern Long Fist (Chang Chuan) and Hong Family Fist (Hong Chuan). Lester is a Government Certified Martial Arts Coach with a Certificate III in Martial Arts Coaching from the Australian College of Sports Development. In addition, Lester continues to work in Electrical Engineering and is a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland with a Masters in Engineering Practice from the University of Southern Queensland. In his spare time, he is also an inventor and holds successful patents in Australia and the EU in the area of advanced systems approaches to high-energy ballistic protection. Lester was given the title of SiFu by SiGung Marco Kavalieratos in 2017 when SiGung Marco and SiFu Christian Hanche visited the Chinese Martial Arts and Health Centre Australia.

SiJeh Sherrilyn Walters

Sherrilyn Walters is the head Tai Chi instructor and Ladies Self-Defence instructor at the Chinese Martial Arts and Health Centre Australia and also teaches the Chang Hong Kung Fu System. Coming from a background in animal science and classical dressage, with a Bachelor’s degree in animal science, Sherrilyn began her martial journey in 2003 and has been an avid student ever since. Sherrilyn trains in Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan under SiFu Christian Hanche at the Cape Town branch of the CMAHC and studies both the Chang Chuan and Hong Chuan Kung Fu systems. Sherrilyn travels back to South Africa and Taiwan regularly to continue her personal training in both Tai Chi and Kung Fu. Sherrilyn completed a Graduate Certificate in Sports Coaching from the University of Queensland in 2017. In addition to her work in the CMAHC Australia, Sherrilyn is also currently completing her Masters of Science Research Degree (Sport and Exercise Science) through the University of Southern Queensland specialising in identifying a scientific, physiological basis for some of the more esoteric, internal aspects of traditional martial arts.

Tactical Kung Fu Training, our streamlined self-defence program developed in South Africa incorporating strong foundation of traditional wushu with modern reality based self-defence training. This program gives participants an opportunity to learn practical self defence applications in a relatively short time, focusing on unarmed, knife and gun attack and defence.

Acceptance as a private student is subject to a successful interview. Private lessons are tailored to individual requirements and can involve training in any combination of our focus areas, including traditional Kung Fu and Tai Chi, Self Defence, Qi Gong, Meditation and Martial Arts Fitness, Stability and Power Generation.

Ladies Only Self-Defence

Practical, easy to learn community self-defence courses taught by a lady, for ladies. This course covers many aspects of self-defence that are not usually included in other self-defence programs, including not only physical aspects of self-defence such as stability, defence, movement, power generation, targeting and strategy, but psychological and mental aspects that are essential to survival including awareness, self-worth, focused aggression, control and preparation.

Concession fees are for school or tertiary education students, pensioners, concession card holders, or special circumstances (please speak to your instructors if you are experiencing financial difficulties)

Our Location

The Chinese Martial Arts and Health Centre Australia can be found nestled in the beautiful Flagstone Creek Valley, 7km from the edge of Toowoomba, the second largest inland city in Australia. We are located on a 40 acre property, featuring a dedicated school building with indoor and outdoor training areas, traditional and modern specialist training equipment, bush-walking, meditation and camping areas.

Terms and Conditions of Enrolment

Admission and MembershipAll new students are to undergo an interview before joining a class. The instructor/s of the CMAHC Australia reserve the right to refuse admission or further instruction to any student at their own discretion. Membership of the CMAHC Australia is a privilege and may be revoked at any point during a student’s career at the discretion of the instructor/s.

General etiquetteGreet seniors first and if you are sitting, stand up to greet. Always greet properly and courteously. When seeing seniors outside the school, it is not necessary to officially greet them, a casual greeting is acceptable. Always show respect to fellow classmates and juniors. Respect works both ways, you only receive what you are prepared to put in.

Do not touch/play with weapons around the school. Weapons are used only for training. Do not use a weapon in class without prior permission from your instructor/s.Sloppiness and lack of concern are not hallmarks of a good martial artist. This applies not only to classes or practising techniques but to everyday life as well. Our system is particularly demanding in terms of accuracy and focus. There is no room for a lazy attitude.

Be patient, humble and disciplined as you are a representative of the school. Any unnecessary fighting or boastfulness could result in suspension.

AttendanceStudents are encouraged to attend every class as the continuity of attendance is important:

For developing personal discipline.

For continued physical fitness/flexibility/strength development.

Since most classes will build on the accumulated knowledge from previous classes.

It is impossible to adequately prepare you to face a broad range of encounters if you are only prepared to attend one or two lessons. Even the simplest techniques will never be mastered without perseverance and repetition.

Please inform your teachers prior to the lesson time if you are unable to attend a class due to ill health or other extenuating circumstances. Failure to excuse yourself may count against you in your next grading.

Be on time for class. If you are late for class, wait just inside the training area in Ma Bu (wide horse) until your instructor signals for you to enter the class.

Conduct before/after classesDo not lean against the walls or put feet on furniture while in the school. Always ensure good hygiene. Smoking, alcohol or drugs are not permitted in the school. Chewing gum is not allowed.

Conduct in classMartial arts and Kung Fu are serious physical disciplines with serious applications. The repercussions for not exactly following the teacher’s instructions could be serious as well and may endanger your health and safety and/or the health and safety of your fellow students. With this in mind, if you refuse to follow instructions issued by your teacher, you may be removed from that particular class for the duration of the lesson without refund. If you continue to ignore instructions given in any subsequent classes, you may be permanently excluded from participation in classes and your membership in CMAHC Australia may be revoked.

Personal discipline is extremely important in the development of any martial artist and this quality extends to respect for your teacher. Lack of respect compromises class structure for everyone concerned. Lack of respect and general misbehaviour have absolutely no place in Kung Fu and will not be tolerated. Misbehaviour may result in your suspension from a particular class without refund and if repeated in subsequent classes may result in a loss of your membership in CMAHC Australia.

Talking out of turn while a class is in session or while an instructor is talking is considered bad manners and may result in disciplinary action.

Guard the integrity of the systemDo not teach what you have been taught or spar/fight with anyone outside of the system/school. Sparring is only permitted within classes under the supervision of an instructor.

As a member of CMAHC Australia, you are a representative of a very powerful, ancient and authentic lineage. To maintain the integrity of the system, it is important that our knowledge is passed down correctly by qualified instructors in our system only. If someone from outside our system expresses interest in learning more, refer them to your instructor/s.

Guard the integrity of the curriculumThe curriculum represents the proper progression of a student through the various levels of the system. Seniors must not interfere with the curriculum by teaching senior techniques to juniors or practising the techniques in front of them.

Juniors are not to watch senior classes training. Any visitor who wishes to watch a class may do so only with prior permission from the instructor/s.

UniformsEnsure that you are in full school uniform. The uniform should be worn with pride and must be clean and neat. Do not wear your sash if you are not in full school uniform. The T-shirt and school uniform must not be worn casually outside of the school. When coming to training or leaving class, ensure that your T-shirt is covered by another garment.

Training shoes must only be worn for training. On leaving the school, training shoes should be removed and other shoes should be worn. All jewellery and watches should be removed before class.

PaymentIt is the responsibility of each student to ensure that fees are paid when they are due. Payment is due on a per class basis or monthly by the 7th of each month.

If you are experiencing difficulties in meeting the cost of lessons but would like to continue, please speak to your instructors to come to another arrangement. Your instructors are sympathetic to those who are experiencing financial difficulties. ​